After imprisonment in Syria: Kurdish journalist Polad extradited to Turkey

After almost eight months in Syrian prisons, Kurdish journalist Ahmet Polad was extradited to Turkey on September 9th. His official name is Mehmet Nizam Aslan. Since 2016 he has worked as a reporter, presenter and program maker for the Kurdish media Etha, Özgür TV and Kurdistana Azad.

Polad is a member of the YRA/Free Press Union in Syria (Rojava). On January 19, 2026, Polad and the German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann were kidnapped by Islamist militias in Raqqa. The city was long under the control of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Shortly before the two journalists were abducted, Islamist groups attacked and conquered the areas together with the troops of the Syrian transitional government.

The whereabouts of Michelmann and Polad were unknown for weeks. A solidarity network was founded in Germany with the slogan “Where are Eva and Ahmet?” demanded clarification about the fate of the two journalists. It was only after several weeks that it became known that Michelmann was being held in a prison in Aleppo. She was able to leave for Germany in mid-June. Since then, concerns about Polad's fate grew. The solidarity organization Peoples-Bridge called on the EU states to accept the journalist. Michelmann also agreed with this in an interview with the taz.

"Please use your legal and diplomatic options to protect Ahmet's life. He can be placed under humanitarian protection and reunited with me in Germany. He can also be transferred to safety in another EU country," was their appeal to the responsible authorities in Germany and the EU.

In an interview with the taz, the lawyer Roland Meister, who legally represented Michelmann, criticized the fact that German authorities refused any support for Polad by pointing out that he was not a German citizen. “It was clear that Polad, as a Kurdish journalist, was exposed to persecution in Turkey,” complained Meister. In fact, according to Etha, Polad was taken to Istanbul's Metris Prison on September 11th.

Etha also reported that Polad's father was able to briefly visit his son in Metris Prison. He reported that he appeared very emaciated and exhausted. Polad explained to his father that he had been tortured in prison for the past eight months and had been on hunger strike for a long time. The Freedom for Eva and Ahmet initiative calls for Polad to be taken to a hospital immediately so that he can receive the medical treatment he needs.

Attorney Meister also told the taz that they would try to continue to create publicity in the Polad case. "It must be prevented that Polad simply disappears into Turkish prisons. After all, he was only doing his journalistic work in the Kurdish areas."